Monday, December 21, 2015

Book Review: The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections from Social Justice Educators

OK, I’m going to get all academic on you now and recommend a
text book.

I can hear you now, “Great, Paul. Just what we want to do at
the end of the year.” Give me a moment to explain…wow, tough crowd. :)

I’m pissed these days. No specific reason, just a sense of
blah that has carried over for the past couple of months. I know one of the
symptoms at least. The news. The never ending detail of stupidity, hate, and
all that is wrong in the world.

In past book reviews, I have often shared my opinion yet
also tried to hold space for different opinions knowing that “I don’t know,
what I don’t know.” Yes, a little Johari’s Window for you Institute graduates.
That’s hard to do. Hard to realize that I don’t know everything even with all
the degrees I have, seminars I have attended, books I have read, speakers I
have heard. Go figure.

So I end up asking this one question…How do we have
conversations that matter? How do we start to really talk to one another in dialogue
and stop yelling? How do we stop “unfriending” people on Facebook because they
think differently than we do? (Like that makes a statement or something.)

Anyway, we are planning the retreat for our Institute
Co-Lead Facilitators. This subject of how to hold conversations that matter is
part of our focus. In particular, how do you create space for these amazing and
talented people to have these conversations? Heck, if these people can’t
demonstrate how to dialogue, disagree, learn, and share, who can? I mean
really!

So, I turned to my graduate school work and some of the
volumes I have collected over the years related to facilitating space for
conversations. One of my favorites is The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections from Social Justice Educators. So many great chapters on holding conversations that
matter and how we as educators (yes, I’m including you LeaderShapers as
educators) can create more of those spaces.

Regardless of how passionate you are about social justice issues, you will find some great suggestions on how you can facilitate conversations
that need to happen. Maybe even happen when you are around your family over the
next couple of weeks. In fact, I bet if we were to start with those that are
closest to us (we all have that Uncle…) perhaps we do some of the work that so
desperately needs to be done.

I’m working hard to channel my being pissed off into action.
I’m going to do so by getting better at creating space for conversations that
STILL are not happening (yep, capital letters are probably a sign that I’m
pissed).

I invite you to do the same thing. Perhaps then, we can look
forward to a new year where we quit yelling AT each other and start to talk TO
each other.

Of course, in the mean time, I will keep lighting candles,
taking deep breaths, and listening to smooth jazz…